Eric Garcetti’s appointment as the US ambassador to India was advanced by a key senatorial committee on Wednesday by a vote of 13-8.
Former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, 52, has been nominated by President Joe Biden for this important diplomatic position, and his candidature has been pending before the US House since July 2021.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved Garcetti’s nomination by a vote of 13 to 8 at its business meeting on Wednesday. The Senate floor will now be used to vote on the nomination.
Wednesday afternoon, two Republican senators, Todd Young and Bill Hagerty, joined the Democratic representatives in supporting Garcetti, advancing his candidature past the Senate committee.
“It’s in our national security interest to have an ambassador immediately in place in India in order to balance China, work with the US throughout the Indo-Pacific…He has an imperfect resume, but the skills to succeed in this capacity,” Young said.
“We must ensure that any chief of mission will, without question, protect our foreign service officers and embassy staff from all types of harassment,” said Senator Jim Risch, Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The White House continues to have complete faith in Garcetti. It informed reporters last week that Garcetti is qualified to serve as the United States ambassador to India.
“Eric Garcetti was voted out in a bipartisan way out of (the Senate Foreign Relations Committee). So clearly, he has had bipartisan support, which is very important in this process. We encourage and look forward to the Senate moving forward with his nomination on the floor,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters here last week.
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